A new study published in Heartfound has revealed that many Australians living with coronary heart disease are under-prescribed recommended medications; are not monitored for major risk factors and have treatment that don’t achieve recommended goals.
Women and those aged less than 45 are more likely to be under-treated compared to similarly affected men and older people.
The study, led by La Trobe epidemiologist Professor Rachel Huxley, analysed GP records of 130,926 patients with a history of CHD from 2014-2018.
Findings included:
- Women were less likely than men to be prescribed with any of the four recommended medications for CHD, namely antiplatelet agents, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers and statins
- Of the four medications recommended for daily use, only about 22% of women and 3% of men were prescribed all four
- In contrast, 21% of women and 10% of men were not prescribed any of these four medications
According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures for 2015, 44% of all deaths from CHD are women, and CHD remains a leading cause of death among women in Australia.
The National Heart Foundation’s Director of Prevention, Ms Julie Anne Mitchell, said research consistently highlighted that women were “invisible when it comes to heart disease“.
The good news is that every woman can take steps to prevent heart disease by knowing her risk factors and making healthy changes.
So why not get that heart of yours checked out to give you peace of mind?
